''Philodryas'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

colubrid Colubridae (, commonly known as colubrids , from la, coluber, 'snake') is a family of snakes. With 249 genera, it is the largest snake family. The earliest species of the family date back to the Oligocene epoch. Colubrid snakes are found on ev ...

snake Snakes are elongated, limbless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales. Many species of snakes have skulls with several more j ...

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...

, commonly called green snakes.

Description

Species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

in the genus ''Philodryas'' share the following characters: Head distinct from neck, with distinct ''canthus rostralis''. Eye moderate or large. Pupil round. Body cylindrical or slightly laterally compressed. Tail long.

Dorsal scales In snakes, the dorsal scales are the longitudinal series of plates that encircle the body, but do not include the ventral scales In snakes, the ventral scales or gastrosteges are the enlarged and transversely elongated scales that extend down t ...

arranged in 17 to 23 rows at midbody, more or less obliquely.

Subcaudals In snakes, the subcaudal scales are the enlarged plates on the underside of the tail.Wright AH, Wright AA. 1957. Handbook of Snakes. Comstock Publishing Associates (7th printing, 1985). 1105 pp. . These scales may be either single or divided (pair ...

divided (in two rows).

Maxilla The maxilla (plural: ''maxillae'' ) in vertebrates is the upper fixed (not fixed in Neopterygii) bone of the jaw formed from the fusion of two maxillary bones. In humans, the upper jaw includes the hard palate in the front of the mouth. T ...

ry teeth smallest anteriorly, 12–15, followed after a gap by two large grooved fangs located just behind the posterior border of the eye.

Venom

Although colubrid snakes are usually harmless to humans, ''Philodryas'' are

opisthoglyphous A snake skeleton consists primarily of the skull, vertebrae, and ribs, with only vestigial remnants of the limbs. Skull The skull of a snake is a very complex structure, with numerous joints to allow the snake to swallow prey far larger than it ...

(rear-fanged) snakes Boulenger GA (1896). ''Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume III., Containing the Colubridæ (Opisthoglyphæ and Proteroglyphæ) ...'' London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xxiv + 727 pp. + Plates I-XXV. (Genus ''Philodryas'', p. 127). and can give a venomous bite.

Species and geographic ranges

There are 16 recognized

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

. *''

Philodryas aestiva ''Philodryas aestiva'' is a species of snake of the family Colubridae. It is commonly known as the Brazilian green racer and the common green racer. Geographic range The snake is found in South America South America is a continent ent ...

'' – N

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

, Bolivia, SE

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

*''

Philodryas agassizii ''Philodryas'' is a genus of colubrid snakes endemic to South America, commonly called green snakes. Description Species in the genus ''Philodryas'' share the following characters: Head distinct from neck, with distinct ''canthus rostralis''. ...

'' – Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay *''

Philodryas arnaldoi ''Philodryas'' is a genus of Colubridae, colubrid snakes Endemism, endemic to South America, commonly called green snakes. Description Species in the genus ''Philodryas'' share the following characters: Head distinct from neck, with distinct C ...

'' – Brazil *''

Philodryas baroni ''Philodryas baroni'', common name Baron's green racer,"''Philodryas baroni'' " The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org./ref> is a species of rear-fanged venomous snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to South America. ...

'' – N Argentina *''

Philodryas boliviana ''Philodryas'' is a genus of colubrid snakes endemic to South America, commonly called green snakes. Description Species in the genus ''Philodryas'' share the following characters: Head distinct from neck, with distinct ''canthus rostralis''. ...

'' Boulenger, 1896 – Bolivia *''

Philodryas chamissonis ''Philodryas chamissonis'', commonly known as the Chilean green racer and the long-tailed snake, is a species of moderately venomous opisthoglyphous (rear-fanged) snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to Chile. Etymology The ...

'' ( Wiegmann, 1834) –

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

*'' Philodryas cordata'' – Venezuela *'' Philodryas erlandi'' Lönnberg, 1902 – Paraguay, southeastern Bolivia, northern Argentina *'' Philodryas livida'' – Brazil *'' Philodryas mattogrossensis'' – Bolivia, SW Brazil, Paraguay *'' Philodryas nattereri'' – WC Brazil, Paraguay *'' Philodryas olfersii'' – Argentina, Bolivia, W Brazil, Paraguay, E Peru, Uruguay *'' Philodryas patagoniensis'' – Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina, Uruguay *'' Philodryas psammophidea'' – Argentina, W & S Brazil *'' Philodryas trilineata'' – Argentina *'' Philodryas varia'' – Argentina, Bolivia ''

Nota bene (, or ; plural form ) is a Latin phrase meaning "note well". It is often abbreviated as NB, n.b., or with the ligature and first appeared in English writing . In Modern English, it is used, particularly in legal papers, to draw the atten ...

'': A

binomial authority In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than ''Philodryas''.

Description

Venom

Species and geographic ranges

References

Further reading